Monday, 20 May 2019

CURIO BOX

Cabinets of curiosities (also known in German loanwords as Kunstkabinett, Kunstkammer or Wunderkammer; also Cabinets of Wonder, and wonder-rooms) were notable collections of objects. The term cabinet originally described a room rather than a piece of furniture. Modern terminology would categorise the objects included as belonging to natural history (sometimes faked), geology, ethnography, archaeology, religious or historical relics, works of art (including cabinet paintings), and antiquities.

The classic cabinet of curiosities emerged in the sixteenth century, although more rudimentary collections had existed earlier. In addition to the most famous and best documented cabinets of rulers and aristocrats, members of the merchant class and early practitioners of science in Europe formed collections that were precursors to museums.

Here is my little version of a cabinet of curiosities, one of several curio boxes I have and in which I have various objects, some precious, others remarkable, yet others quite ordinary but connected with some event or person, and which therefore bring back some memory. In this one you can see a mosaic of all manner of things including: Antique miniature toys, tropical tree dried seeds, mineral specimens, carved oriental bone figures, cloisonné miniatures, fossils and shells.

Nick - thanks for this insight into the types of objects that you treasure - a simple reminder that something does not have to be worth its weight in gold to be important to someone. And a clever "mosaic" - nicely done for Mosaic Monday today!